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I can't guarantee that the American Civil War
我不能保证
would not have happened if women had been
如果妇女被允许有平等选举权和有政治职位
allowed to vote and hold political office.
美国内战就不会发生
On the other hand women voters and female
另一方面，我也不敢保证妇女选民和
elected officials couldn't possibly have messed
女性竞选政府职位不可能不
things up any worse than the men wound up doing.
像男性那样将事情变得一团乱
Segment 5d: Of Human Bondage.
第五部分，人性枷锁
Dancing around the problem.
问题周边起舞
From the very beginning of America's history
从美国历史之初
the founders despaired of reconciling the slave
国父就对调解奴隶州和
and free states. Various half measures were taken;
自由州冲突失望，他们采取了许多折中办法
the rule that a slave counted for three fifths of
如规定在纳税和选举问题上
a free person for tax and election purposes, letting
奴隶算作3/5个自由民
the international slave trade continue until 1808,
他们准许国际奴隶贸易持续到1808年
and the banning of slavery in the Northwest Territory.
禁止西北地区奴隶制
Northerners and southerners alike hoped that
北方人和南方人都同样希望
slavery would just die out. But the rise of
奴隶制消亡
king cotton and its domination of the
但棉花王国的兴起和其
southern economy just made slavery stronger.
作为南方经济的支柱使得奴隶制愈发牢固
Thanks to the Missouri Compromise of 1820
由于1820年的密苏里协定
adding slave and free states to the Union on a one
将自由州和奴隶制加入美国
for one basis was the law of the land.
一对一基础成为土地法
Meanwhile around the world slavery was
同时，全球的奴隶制都在
being phased out. The United States was being
渐渐淘汰，美国被
criticized for not joining this important trend.
批评没有融入到这重要的浪潮中
Even Russia was on the verge of freeing its serfs.
甚至俄国都要解放其农奴
Try as it might to solve the problem America
试图解决这个问题
was merely holding off the inevitable.
美国只是在拖延这个不可避免的事实
The ultimate solution to the slavery crisis
奴隶制危机的最终解决办法
nearly destroyed us.
差点毁了我们
As early as 1830 groups of middle class northerners
1830左右，成群的北方中产阶级
began demanding what they called abolition;
开始要求废除奴隶制
freedom and full civil rights for enslaved blacks.
奴役黑人享有自由和完全公民权
Yet half measures like the Missouri Compromise
然而像密苏里协定等折中政策
held the Union largely intact until the Mexican War
令联邦大体保持完整直至墨西哥战争
added massive new territories to the US.
将大块新领土加入美国
Because territorial questions were handled by
因为领土问题是由国会掌控
Congress the extension of slavery became
奴隶制扩张成为
the hot-button political issue. Southerners suspected
非常敏感的政治问题，南方人怀疑
a northern plot against the southern economy.
北方人设计阻挠南方经济
Northerners were suspicious of
北方人怀疑
President James K. Polk. Polk wouldn't fight
詹姆斯·K。波尔克总统
Great Britain for Oregon, a free territory,
不会和大不列颠开打争取自由州俄勒冈
but he started a war with Mexico over Texas
但他发动与墨西哥的战争
which was slated to become a slave territory.
抢指定是奴隶州的德克萨斯
Northerners supported the Wilmot Proviso
北方人支持韦慕特但书
which would've kept slavery out of all former
他令所有先前的墨西哥领土都不采用奴隶制
Mexican territory. Polk, the southerner,
波尔克是南方人
wanted to extend the Missouri Compromise line
他想将密苏里协定界线
all the way from Missouri to southern California.
从密苏里一直延伸到加利福尼亚的南方
On top of that came the 1848 California gold rush
紧接着 1848年，加州迎来了淘金热
which drew in tens of thousands of settlers and
那吸引来无数定居者
made California statehood an issue far earlier
令加州地位问题比预想得早的成为热点问题
than expected. There was no slave state ready to be
没有奴隶州准备
added to the Union along with California.
与加州一同并入美国
And this lead to all sorts of strange proposals
这引来各种奇怪的提议
we don't have time for here.
对此我们没有足够时间来讲
More half measures. The compromise of 1850
更多的折中办法 1850年协定
was a doomed attempt to fix the situation.
是确定这种形式的灾难尝试
Under this agreement Texas was designated a slave
根据这个协定，德克萨斯被指定个奴隶州
state but California could enter as a free state.
而加利福尼亚州可以以自由州的身份加入
